Meta

So yesterday it was announced that Google would be shutting down their popular RSS aggregating service Google Reader effective July 1. In the company’s “Second Spring Cleaning” post on their official blog, they said of the shutdown:

“We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.”

Some upset Google Reader users have taken to petitioning the search giant to reconsider the plan, although if Google were interested in appeasing the number of folks who use the service, it would likely have already done so. Some are saying that Google Reader will see a resurgence as part of Google+, but others (like yours truly) aren’t waiting for the shift to (maybe) happen.

I decided to take Merlin Mann’s approach to handling the demise of a useful app—that is, to rip the bandage off quickly rather than spend an excruciating amount of time worrying about the impending doom.

Thus far, I’ve adopted Feedly as my RSS reader on the desktop as it’s got an elegant and customizable interface that behaves in at least a similar manner to what I’m used to. Their iOS app, however, leaves much to be desired. For the past several years I’ve been using Reeder and I’m really attached to the way the app displays articles and the list of feeds. Feedly’s iOS app just doesn’t do it for me. I find it to be difficult to navigate and the gestures aren’t as responsive as they should be. For the time being, I’ll continue to use Reeder on iOS and will wait to see what, if any, changes Feedly makes to their app.

July 1 is still 3 months away, however, and that’s a lot of time in the technology space. A lot can change, and a lot probably will. I’m excited to see where this takes us and optimistic about the possibilities. I’m just a tad impatient.